Technus Water Camper

The Technus Water Camper (Motorkatamaran 1200) is a German pontoon catamaran built to carry an ordinary touring caravan. The caravan, for example a Hobby 560 UFF, is lifted aboard by crane, giving a floating camper with four berths, gas heating, a fridge, satellite TV and a chemical toilet. It is not amphibious in the strict sense, because the catamaran cannot drive on land and the caravan is towed separately.

Design

The platform floats on two rows of ten rotationally moulded polyethylene floats, each holding 450 litres, with 9 mm walls that stay unbreakable down to -70 °C, so the floats can be pushed up by ice in winter. They carry a hot-dip galvanised steel frame that is almost torsion-free and a deck of Siberian larch. A 25 hp Yamaha four-stroke outboard at the stern provides propulsion, and the helm is at the bow. Two 1.5 kW bow thrusters allow manoeuvring in harbours and locks without the main engine, optionally by radio remote control.

The catamaran is 11.8 m long and 3.98 m wide, with 0.45 m of freeboard and 0.35 m of draught. It weighs 2.6 t, plus 1.7 t for the caravan, and is CE-certified to DIN EN 14504 for category D (sheltered) waters, with a payload of 12 persons (900 kg) plus 350 kg.